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http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/38212

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/awards/travel/types.aspx
Click on "United air travel award rules:"
"You may redeem miles for travel in United Global FirstSM, United First®, United Business® or United BusinessFirst® , even if the space is not available. In these cases, United Economy in the same award type must be confirmed, and the front cabin will be waitlisted. For example, a Saver United First award must be confirmed in Saver United Economy to be eligible for waitlisting. If the courtesy waitlist does not clear, it will expire 24 hours before itinerary departure, and you will automatically be added to the airport upgrade standby list upon check-in. In these cases, you will be confirmed on a space-available basis by a United airport representative at the gate once the flight has closed for check-in. For United BusinessFirst and United Business travel awards, the difference in miles will be refunded when the United BusinessFirst or United Business class segment of the trip could not be confirmed. Waitlist requests may only be made over the phone with your local United Reservations office"


« Last edited by HolyNyc on February 02, 2015, 08:51:46 AM »

Author Topic: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability  (Read 507421 times)

Offline @jack123

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #480 on: March 27, 2014, 03:23:46 PM »
anyone know how close to flight the standby list starts clearing?
I have flight motzei shabbas with a plan b set up, but not going to get to the airport until 2 hrs before. anything i can do to increase my chances before or to expedite the process when get to the airport? will they let me in the business check in line if haven't cleared yet? still hoping it clears tonight or tomorrow as there are still seats available, but any advice would be really appreciated

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #481 on: March 27, 2014, 03:33:48 PM »
anyone know how close to flight the standby list starts clearing?
I have flight motzei shabbas with a plan b set up, but not going to get to the airport until 2 hrs before. anything i can do to increase my chances before or to expedite the process when get to the airport? will they let me in the business check in line if haven't cleared yet? still hoping it clears tonight or tomorrow as there are still seats available, but any advice would be really appreciated
There's not much you can do in advance. If you don't get confirmed by Friday before shabbos your best bet will be to call immediately after shabbos and ask them to manually upgrade you if there's still seats available and you didn't make it automatically in the few hours between hadlakas neiros and 24 hours before the flight.

Offline Yitz

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #482 on: March 27, 2014, 03:34:10 PM »
The choices are not available as they had some flight cancellations today and yesterday.

Offline @jack123

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #483 on: March 27, 2014, 03:44:37 PM »
There's not much you can do in advance. If you don't get confirmed by Friday before shabbos your best bet will be to call immediately after shabbos and ask them to manually upgrade you if there's still seats available and you didn't make it automatically in the few hours between hadlakas neiros and 24 hours before the flight.

thanks... well see what happens

Offline @jack123

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #484 on: March 27, 2014, 03:45:05 PM »
The choices are not available as they had some flight cancellations today and yesterday.

the non stops were cancelled? as of now still shows seats available on my flight...

Offline Yitz

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #485 on: March 27, 2014, 04:05:16 PM »
I checked for Saturday night early this morning and i did not see any. I did see 3 business class seats on the 12:15 pm flight leaving Sunday  this morning

Offline @jack123

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #486 on: March 27, 2014, 04:36:01 PM »

I checked for Saturday night early this morning and i did not see any. I did see 3 business class seats on the 12:15 pm flight leaving Sunday  this morning
There aren't award seats sat night (otherwise I woulda gotten upgraded automatically or called already), but there are seats for sale.. Expert mode shows 8 last I checked. Which is why I wasn't sure what u meant when u said bc of cancellations u didn't  think it work... Maybe I'm misunderstanding u

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #487 on: March 27, 2014, 11:19:58 PM »
Might be a dumb question, but just in case.. U have to go to ur departure airport 24 hrs before or could a united agent in a different airport possible fix the standby priority status (maybe I could someone in an earlier time zone to take care of it when it's shabbos for me already?)?

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #488 on: March 28, 2014, 12:58:56 AM »
Might be a dumb question, but just in case.. U have to go to ur departure airport 24 hrs before or could a united agent in a different airport possible fix the standby priority status (maybe I could someone in an earlier time zone to take care of it when it's shabbos for me already?)?
I'm not sure, but they might ask to see ID.

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #489 on: March 29, 2014, 11:12:12 PM »
thanks... for those who keep track of this stuff or are stam interested, heres an update:

got to airport less than two hours before the flight (about 40 min after shabbos) and a very nice agent was able to get her to PR1 after calling the help desk and working on it for 10-15 minutes. so she (this was for my wife) was #1 on list and as of less than hr before flight there were still 2 seats hadn't checked in. was getting hopeful, but then on mobile app it said it was checked in full a few minutes later, about 40 min before. but on computer at united.com it still said one seat available. she went to ticket counter at gate and they said its full, when she mentioned online was one available they said "its for crew rest." i thought that sounded pretty shady, but she said non of the gate agents were being helpful or even friendly. after she asked them she went down on the list a few spots (no new ppl added, just dropped below the people she had just been in front of on the list! she asked about it but they told her she was never supposed to be on top of the list anyway. and refused to do anything for her. ended up speaking to someone else who at least gave her economy plus, but the experience with gate agents and their seemingly blocking a seat for crew use was pretty frustrating.
think worth asking for some compensation from them or does this not warrant that?

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #490 on: April 23, 2014, 08:30:39 AM »
Another Plan B I did was upgraded automatically with no need to call in.

Anyone have any ideas why some of them need to be manually upgraded and some get processed automatically?

Offline Dan

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #491 on: April 23, 2014, 08:31:31 AM »
Because SHARES is buggy.

What route? Congrats!
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #492 on: April 23, 2014, 08:33:28 AM »
Because SHARES is buggy.

What route? Congrats!
Thanks. PIT-IAD-LHR.

Offline MilesNpoints

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availabilityi
« Reply #493 on: April 24, 2014, 04:53:06 PM »
Also an automatic upgrade.  Without Dan,
this wouldn't be possible. 

Offline SamKey

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #494 on: April 27, 2014, 07:19:45 PM »
My IN class just switched to R class requested

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #495 on: April 27, 2014, 07:31:14 PM »
My IN class just switched to R class requested
Are you within 24h?

Offline SamKey

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #497 on: April 27, 2014, 08:43:18 PM »
Sounds right

Offline SamKey

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #498 on: April 27, 2014, 08:59:31 PM »
Sounds right
So I just go to airport and tell them to give me pr-1?

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #499 on: April 27, 2014, 09:57:43 PM »
Call and ask. I did when I was in your situation and they confirmed me in I over the phone.